Multisorb introduces active packaging technology solutions for ‘clean label’ applications

Multisorb Technologies, a specialist in sorbent technologies, has introduced active packaging solutions to enable manufacturers of natural and organic foods to meet ‘clean label’ requirements. Multisorb’s suite of packaging technologies reportedly allows food manufacturers to streamline the ingredient profile of their clean label products while maintaining shelf life, preventing spoilage and preserving color, taste, aroma, mouth feel and flavor.
‘These advanced active packaging technologies address key threats to packaged natural and organic food products, including oxidation and moisture-mediated degradation,’ said the company in a statement. ‘Proactive oxygen scavenging aggressively removes oxygen from the packaged headspace, maintaining a range of food qualities that otherwise would require additives, and thus preventing clean label status.’

Many baked goods and snacks use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils for retaining food stability and texture. Partial hydrogenation, however, forms trans-fats, an undesirable byproduct for many consumers. Multisorb’s oxygen absorbers inhibit oxidation of fats and oils, thereby preserving the flavor and aroma without the addition of conventional additives. As a result, food manufacturers are able to use natural vegetable oils free of trans-fats without fear of spoilage. In the case of processed meats, it is standard practice to use certain food additives such as sodium nitrate, which becomes oxidized instead of the food itself, preventing the growth of pathogens. With Multisorb’s active packaging technology, food manufacturers can minimize the use of such additives.  

Some foods, in addition to oxidation prevention, require moisture regulation within a pre-determined relative humidity range to maintain texture and mouth feel. To preserve these qualities, the inclusion of artificial additives such as surfactants, emulsifiers, glycerin, or polyols is common. Through Multisorb’s active packaging technology, moisture is regulated within specified limits to ensure the product becomes neither dry and hard or too moist, and still retains clean label designation.

‘Natural foods degrade easily over time,’ says John Solomon, market leader of specialty foods, Multisorb Technologies.  ‘Given the consumer demand for simpler food ingredients and the emergence of the clean label trend, active packaging will perform the function that artificial ingredients once did.  Essentially, the packaging is the preservative.’